Under current state law, immigrants must at least have a temporary visa to obtain a driver's license.

But a new measure has been introduced in the state Legislature that would require New Jersey to issue photo "driving privilege" cards to residents who could not prove they are in the U.S. legally but were able to show they live in the state.

State Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex), a sponsor of the bill, said "it's all about public safety."

"Some of the undocumented are driving anyway," Vitale said. "This isn't to excuse the fact they they're undocumented. But they're on the roads. They're driving. Many uninsured."

But state Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll (R-Morris) is opposed to the idea.

"From my perspective, I have never quite grasped why it's so difficult, impossible or inhumane to say to people who are here illegally, go home," Carroll said. "If you're here illegally, go home."